


December 7th

by Sciura



Category: Pearl Harbor (2001)
Genre: Character Death, Coming of Age, Developing Relationship, F/M, Feminist Themes, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Music, Minor Character Death, Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29659014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sciura/pseuds/Sciura
Summary: At age 21 Alice – nickname Allie – is one of the first women to join the U.S. Air Force, but that’s just the start of her adventure. When her brother Rafe is declared dead in July 1941, her world collapses. Can Danny, her brother’s best friend, give her solace or is he to busy to seduce Rafe’s sweetheart Evelyn? [Rafe/Evelyn] [Danny/Evelyn] [Danny/OC]
Relationships: Betty Bayer/Red Winkle, Danny Walker/Original Female Character(s), Evelyn Johnson/Danny Walker, Evelyn Johnson/Rafe McCawley





	1. Fly One Time

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Perlenhafen](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/765516) by Sciura. 



> Hello!  
> Welcome to this old, never finished fanfic of mine that is getting revamped (the original German one) and slowly translated. Feel free to let me know what you think :)  
> Also, I'm quite clueless on technical details, like weapons or planes, so I apologise in advance for mistakes.
> 
> ________________________________________________________________________________  
> Disclaimer: I do not own any rights of the movie nor do I earn money from this.

Fly One Time

The young woman, some would consider her still being a girl, crept up to the fence carefully. The darkness of the night almost swallowed her. She hesitated. She’d risked so much, had worked so hard. Should she give up now and go back home? No, she could imagine her father’s face when he’d learn about her… well, cloak-and-dagger operation basically, he’d be furious.

She took a deep breath, then she had climbed the fence within seconds and jumped down on the other side like a cat. Nobody had noticed her and nobody saw her scurrying over to the hangars and vanishing inside the first that came along.

Alice McCawley was quite flabbergasted, when she saw the planes. They were so much bigger, so much more impressive than her father’s crop duster she’d used to train ever since.

Her older brother Rafe had sent her letters soon after he and his best friend Danny Walker had joined the US Army Air Force in January 1939. Since then, her biggest wish had been to fly one time with a real plane. Fly like a bird. And she had worked hard and fought for this wish.

She was here now, finally, on September 23rd 1939, one day after her 21st birthday.

The noise of a door snapping shut brought her back from her memories, hectically she looked around for a place to hide, stumbled hastily and fell.

A soldier came into her direction, he seemed to be on an inspection round, and before she could ty to hide, he’d spotted her. Uncouthly he grabbed her arm and brought her hands behind her back. She didn’t realize what he was doing until she heard a clicking sound and felt cold metal on her wrists. He had handcuffed her. Without a word he pushed forward out of the hangar. She tried to peer over her shoulder back at him, but he pushed her again harshly and she had to watch her steps or else she’d fall.

Straightforwardly, he directed her to an adjacent building. In front of a door on a not very appealing corridor he pressed her down on an uncomfortable wooden bench and took the handcuff off her left hand, and she’d already started to hope he’d take them off completely, when he chained her to the metal armrest. Before she could protest genuinely, he disappeared through the door.

From the room, an office supposably, came muffled voices. One – the soldier probably – told the other of an intruder, who was outside. Alice looked around but there was nobody else. Then it came to her, she was the intruder.

The door flung open and the soldier came back out, finally unchained her, pulled her to her feet ungently and pushed her through the door.

“Good evening, may I ask why you were found in an US Army Air Force hangar?” The man on the desk looked up and seemed quite surprised, but she couldn’t tell if it was her age or gender.  
“So, Miss…?” He covered up his surprise still waiting for an answer.

“McCawley, sir, Alice McCawley.”

“Miss McCawley… Don’t we have another McCawley here?” He was obviously distracted by this information.

“Err – yes, that’s my brother Rafe.” Allie wanted to slap herself for making such an unprofessional first impression with this sentence.

“I’m Major Doolittle. But let’s get back to my question, for what reason were you found in a military airplane hangar, Miss McCawley?” The distraction hadn’t been lasting long enough for her to get around answering that question.

She looked at him with big puppy eyes, when the door flew open with a blast. Alice squeaked in surprise and jumped aside.

“I’m sorry for the interruption, Sir.

ALICE McCAWLEY! What on earth has gotten into you to break into here?! You’ll be on your way home in a minute the same way you’ve gotten here!” Rafe stood in the doorframe snorting with rage.

“McCawley, would you be so kind to solve your family affairs after I’ve spoken with your sister, what brings us again back to the question I’ve asked previously. Why you were found in an US Army Air Force hangar? I’m still waiting for an answer.”

Doolittle didn’t care about Rafe’s sudden outburst. Seemingly, he knew the McCawley temper already well enough to not respond to that.

Allie glared angrily at Rafe’s back when he reluctantly but obediently left the room. Then she turned to Doolittle and started telling her story, trying to stick to the abridged version. All the time, he kept a straight face.

After she’d ended, he summarized. “So, you want to fly with one of our planes, because you promised yourself to do that one day. Well, we’ll see, but I’ll have to take you into custody for tonight. But first, you have to face your brother. He seemed to be very angry.”

She couldn’t read his expression, how serious he was about this, when he shooed her out of his office.

Rafe was waiting outside sitting on the uncomfortable bench. Now he glared at her angrily. She took a deep breath and reasoned what her chances where if she took to her heels. But she never managed to outrun Rafe, so she thought better of it and sat down next to her brother.

“What do you want here?” he squeezed out through his gritted teeth and Allie would not have been surprised if actual fume had come out of his ears.

“Visiting you” she tried a white lie.

“Can’t even fool yourself with that. What do you really want?” If he was angry the moment before, what was he now? ‘Probably in rage’ Allie thought to herself.

“Well, actually it was you telling me in your letters how great flying with these planes was. I have to see for myself if you’re not exaggerating.”

For a long moment he gazed into space closemouthed. Definitely a bad omen.

“Allie, you’re a sheep. Doolittle won’t let a little girl without experience fly one of his planes.”

Now it was her turn to snort indignantly. “I’m not a little girl, I’m 5’8” tall and – since yesterday – 21 years old. And I do have experience.”

“Ah yes, happy belated birthday.” He smiled at her. “But you can’t just break in and demand to fly a plane.”

“Well, if it hadn’t been for this one guy, I’d have just taken one without asking” Allie laid out her improvised plan.

“Allie!” Rafe screamed, raging again.

Allie jumped up and decided it was now time to take her heels. She fled down the second-best corridor and around the next corner, when she recognized Rafe coming closer. Unfortunately, someone else wanted to round this corner from the other side, and she ran right into this person. “Sorry”, she mumbled quickly and wanted to continue to run, when the person grabbed her wrist just like the soldier before.

She turned to spit at this person and…

“Alice?” asked her counterpart disbelieving. “Danny!” she exclaimed delightedly. “Nice to see you!” She flung her arms around his neck and had almost forgotten about Rafe.

“Nice to see you too, but what are you doing here, for heaven’s sake?” He was seriously staggered, of course. How could he have known he’d meet her here?

In this moment her older brother came around the corner, as composed as possible. “Alice”, Rafe struggled hard not to yell at her, “you need to show up in Doolittle’s office immediately. He’ll take you in custody then.”

“Better Doolittle than him” she uttered in Danny’s direction and made effort to get out of Rafe’s reach as soon as possible.

The young men both watched her disappear around the corner.

“She’s grown”, Danny said and Rafe could have sworn his best friend’s voice sounded a little dreamy and he’d really would have liked to punch him for this dreamy sound.

“You haven’t seen her for nine and a half months at maximum, she’s grown a quarter inch at most”, Rafe hissed. “And what are you doing here exactly?”

“I got worried you’d cut a caper, just because someone might have heard that a certain ‘Miss McCawley’ is in Doolittle’s office.”

Doolittle had escorted Allie to a little room that seemed not very comfortable or well furnished. The door got locked behind her. Lackadaisical, she walked over to the window. Metal-grilled, of course. What had she been expecting? But it was dark outside anyway, it was still night.

So, she threw herself onto the bed, in the truest sense of the word, that was surprisingly soft contrary to its look. And soon she’d fallen into a deep slumber.

The next day started not quite pleasantly but ended pleasantly. Allie spent most of her day sitting on the bed and staring out of the window.

“This is your bag, I assume?”

Allie jumped She hadn’t noticed someone entering the room. Doolittle stood in the doorframe and held her bag.

“It had been found in Hangar Two”, he explained.

“And who exactly did find it?” she wanted to know having strong suspicions.

“Honestly? Well, it was your brother and Lieutenant Walker. They seem to know you quite well, Miss McCawley.” He watched her reaction closely.

“Of course they do, I’ve spent twenty years of my life with them” she started to tell, gesturing widely. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been bored to death this much, and the need to communicate was very strong. “Rafe knows exactly that I never leave the house without being prepared for, well, nearly everything. There’s always the possibility that…”

“…that”, he interrupted her flood of words, “I’ve spent half my day arguing with my supervisors – don’t make such a face, I have supervisors too – what to do with you. And we’ve decided to give you a chance to prove yourself. You’ll be flying one of our planes. But until tomorrow, you’ll have to stay here.”

She was indeed happy to hear this news, but slowly she stared wondering, if this was worth it. She seemed prepared – regarding the bag – but actually her plan was everything but well-thought-out. She’d been hitchhiking for days and had somehow managed to get through, but she had always focused on her goal. Now, that her goal was within her grasp, she started to have doubts about it.

She tried to push these thoughts far away, but it was not easy without distraction.

Therefore, she was more than glad, when Rafe came to visit her in the late afternoon. He wasn’t mad anymore, instead Allie was mortally offended.

“You promised to write more often”, she complained. She had noticed some inconsistencies while she had this much time to think about everything.

“Oh Allie”, Rafe responded agonized, “you know that I don’t like the letters…”

Of course, she knew, but it also had been her who helped him as good as she could. In doing so she had also learned to understand his way of expressing himself in written words, no matter how far away his writing was from proper spelling.

She put her arms around him, after all he still was her brother and they never had been separated this long. And even though they both would never admit it, they had missed each other sadly. They had been there for each other in every concern since their mother had died. Naturally their father had tried to compensate for that, but his work as farmer hadn’t left much time for that. And that’s why Alice had taken on many chores she actually was too young for, only ten years old.

Danny’s mother Grace had tried to take care of the neighbors’ kids, but she was already quite busy with trying to contain her own husband without endangering herself or her son.

Last year she had also died, what was one of many reasons for Danny to leave home and enroll.

And so they exchanged news, whereupon Rafe had a lot more to tell than Allie, because somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee nothing interesting ever happens. Spellbound she listened to his remarks about flying, way more detailed than in the few letters he had written. Now she couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.

Sooner than she had expected the visiting time was over and it had become evening.

After a not very good-looking, but filling dinner, Allie got to sleep with mixed feelings.


	2. Qualification Test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I again apologize in advance, this chapter is a weird mix of old passages, rewritten passages and added passages. I hope, it still makes sense.

Qualification Test

That flying a big, heavy warplane was something completely different than flying a crop duster, Allie had to learn the next day the hard way.

Major Doolittle had introduced her to the plane and all the devices in the cockpit, of which she had to learn and remember names and functions. And that was the easy part, because subsequently she had to proof her skills as pilot. Which were, now that she had been thinking about it, not that good as she’d thought a few weeks before.

Doolittle couldn’t leave her to handling such an expensive plane all by herself, so one of his other protégés needed to accompany the girl.

Self-evident, Rafe decided it was his duty to take this important task of showing his sister to fly such a plane, but unfortunately the Major decided that flying lessons à la Rafe would only lead to more sibling rivalry.

Doolittle was a well-versed person, always having a plan, and always knowing what to do, but this girl caused him quite a headache. How she’d gotten on the secured area nearly unnoticed and how she’d explained, gesticulating wildly, why she had entered without permission, was beyond the Major.

But she seemed very accomplished to achieve what she made her goal, and why shouldn’t she get a shot?

Allie McCawley didn’t resemble her brother very much, they indeed had the same brown eyes and the same dirty blonde hair color, but her facial characteristics and physique were quite delicate. Besides, her hip-length hair gave her a girlish look.

Probably she took more after her mother.

And now he needed to find a suitable chaperon for this girl, who could monitor her mid-air and help her, if needed. He excluded McCawley immediately. The way the siblings had snarled at each other two days ago would achieve nothing but a disassembled plane.

He had decided to give her an older, stolid plane, which they also used to train the new cadets without flying experience. It was a little big, sure, but gave more time for reactions. That way, he’d be able to get an idea of her skills.

But he still needed to find her a chaperon. If possible, it should be somebody she knew, and he could trust, besides Rafe McCawley. But what about Danny Walker, McCawley’s best friend? Hadn’t she mentioned, that they knew each other quite well?

“Rally the pilots”, Doolittle approached a corporal. “And get Miss McCawley.”

Allie had been allowed to shower in the meantime, and had been given clean clothes, but against her expectations, she’d been given a uniform and not her own clothes. Somewhat uncomfortable, but that was probably, because it was not her size.

She was waiting at the Majors office for the pilots, when he told her about the circulating rumors, for example her being a dangerous criminal trying to steal a plane. When she wanted to ask for details, they were interrupted by the arriving pilots.

“A little faster next time, gentlemen”, Doolittle barked impatiently, when the young men saluted. “This is Miss Alice McCawley, the intruder you’ve already heard about.”. He pointed surly behind him.

“Miss McCawley, these are some of our best pilots at the moment. Billy Thompson, Danny Walker, Anthony Fusco, Red Winkle and your brother, Rafe McCawley. Miss McCawley might become a part of your flight”, he had turned back to the pilots, “revolutionary, I know, but some ladies are useless as nurses.” Allie was scandalized at this statement, but since the Major couldn’t see her face he simply continued. “Everybody dismissed, except Walker.”

When the others had left, the Major turned to Danny. “Like I said before, Miss McCawley might join the flight if she passes this test of flying one of the planes used for training. And because we’re short-staffed on officers for training, you’ll accompany her.”

Outside, the airfield was bustling with activity. Danny quickly explained what Allie had to watch out for.

“Only take off if you’re sure you’ll make it. You don’t want to make the same mistakes as Rafe, do you?” Upon her questioning glance, he explained what had happened. “Rafe tried to take off too early, flew ten feet, and came down with a bang. Plane got scratched just a bit, but he still got exhorted to be more careful with US Amry Air Foce property.”

Allie had to smirk, this was typically Rafe, he’d always been a little – to put it mildly – impatient and overly zealous.

But story time was up, Major Doolittle signaled them to get into the plane and make herself familiar with the cockpit.

Danny climbed with apparent ease into the plane, and turned around to help Allie, but she had stepped back about 15 feet, took a run-up and jumped into the plane nimbly, ignoring Danny’s attempt to help her.

“Honestly, do you really think I’m that clumsy, that I can’t be bothered with a little physical exercise?” she asked sneering.

She’d gotten quite cheeky; Danny couldn’t remember her being that cheeky back in the days. But she had changed in general, Alice had grown up. Well, at least her body, her mind was probably still somewhat younger.

“Probably between five and fifteen”, he mumbled in a low voice. But before he came under pressure for failing to offer an explanation for what he meant with that cryptic message, they got clearance for takeoff and he had to take care that Allie actually took of safely.

Meanwhile they had accomplished some of the tasks and Allie did quite well. But Danny noticed her becoming exhausted from the exertion and her movements became a little erratic.

“You gotta keep your hands steady”, he cautioned the young woman controlling the joystick.

“My hands are steady.” Alice ground her teeth and clutched the joystick tightly. Her hands were still trembling.

“No, they’re not…”, he tried to explain what he meant.

“Yes, they are”, she cut him short and clenched her teeth so hard, he was afraid they’d break. So he left it at that, they had been flying quite a while and he was sure they’d land soon.

Not three minutes later he got the instruction to do so.

“So, Miss Supersteady”, he couldn’t bite back that thrust, “it looks like Doolittle has seen enough. You can start the final descent.”

“Descend”, she repeated mechanically and started to descend really fast, nearly nosediving. By accident of course. With a speed not to be underestimated the ground came near.

“Let go”, Danny yelled and grabbed his joystick to assume control.

“I’m so sorry” Ally murmured sheepishly when he had brought them down safely. Danny just grunted something incomprehensible. But she knew better than to ask.

When they had left the taxiway and reached the hangars a worried Major came running and asked after everybody.

“She’s been a little uneasy and flustered in the end, but I assume that was a one-off” Danny answered instead of Alice. He had calmed down already. Near-death experiences seemed to happen on a regular basis.

“If you say so, Walker.” Doolittle seemed somewhat convinced and Allie dared to hope again. During touchdown she’d been sure her failure at this crucial point had signed her dream’s death warrant.

The silence in Doolittle’s office was deafening, at least Allie felt it this way. Finally, the Major spoke up.

“So, Miss McCawley, all things considered, your technique of flying is… delectable, but this blooper in the end, well, I don’t know. But I know that Lieutenant Walker insight into human nature is very good, so I believe, you’ll be an enrichment for this flight.”

Allie could hardly believe her ears. Like besotted she took the forms the Major handed her. They covered various clauses and special cases, and somebody had added handwritten remarks regarding her gender and cross-referenced some other forms for nurses and other personae that allowed for female recruits.

And despite her being generally quick-witted and not a slow reader, it took some time to read all the papers carefully and sign them.

After she’d put her name on the last page in her precise, neat, but peppy handwriting, the Major indicated her to stand up and shook her hand vigorously.

“You’re now officially a member of the U.S. Army Corps. Welcome, Miss McCawley, or rather Private Second Class McCawley from now on.” He stood to attention and apparently expected her to do the same. It took her some time to realize and when she tried to salute like him, she nearly knocked over the chair she’d been sitting on a few moments ago.

Doolittle just shook his head in amusement. “Stand at ease, Private. We’ll work on that first thing tomorrow morning. You may now make yourself at home and are free tonight.”

To not embarrass herself again Allie dropped a curtsey this time. That she knew how to do, although her Sunday school teacher had always criticized her. Of course, the other girls did it better, more elegant and mannered, but these girls couldn’t fly a small plane at age 13.

Generally, she always had been interested in other things than the other girls in her school. These girls cared about boring things like dolls and later fashion. While Allie wore always the same old shirts and jeans inherited from her brother roaming the fields, these girls read the newest magazines and talked about boys they had never bandied words with.

Allie knew all these boys and hat been scrambling one or two when she was younger, but she knew better than to tell the bitchy girls. They only would have made fun of her long braids again and laughed at her for not wearing makeup.

Maybe that had been a reason why she felt addressed by these posters, that first had been posted only occasionally and then more and more often. They encouraged women to take over as whatever men were doing that were needed to be available as soldiers in the fields. Now war was only in Europe, but it seemed it was just a matter of time until the USA would join the war.

‘Be a marine, free a marine to fight’ it said on her favorite poster. It depicted a young woman in front of a plane holding a clipboard. But Allie had known immediately, if she’d become a marine, then she’d be ready to go the whole nine yards. And now she was so close.

Still deeply absorbed in her thoughts, she nearly didn’t catch being led to a room. Vaguely she remembered hearing the words “lady” and “separate room” and was a little less confused when she entered a room very similar to her former “cell”.

After she had stowed away the few things she brought from home, she began to looking for her new comrades.


	3. Equal Rights

Equal Rights

Alice finally found her new colleagues smoking in the inner yard near the lavatories. They didn’t notice her getting closer or else the group would have changed the topic of their conversation for the reason by courtesy alone.

Actually, it was not quite a group, just three men were present. Danny and Rafe were nowhere to be seen, they probably were still busy with their personal hygiene. Most certainly, Rafe had to shave his awful quickly growing beard, she thought mockingly and had to smile involuntarily. He had been so proud when he finally also grew visible beard stubbles, the other boys in his grade had to shave regularly by then already. But they both had inherited their mother’s blonde hair and his beard had been very light, nearly invisible, when he was a teenage boy.

But here in the yard were the voices of Billy, Anthony and Red, easily to be recognized because of his occasional stuttering, obviously audible.

The main topic was – to her surprise – Allie herself. Now she was cautious not to be detected and slowly got closer to understand their conversation better.

“… I mean, this girl just shows up and wham-bam, she’s a pilot. I have nothing against women, actually I really like women, but if that had been a guy, this wouldn’t be of the table this quickly.”

Billy cut in on his fervid reasoning to take a puff of his cigarette.

“And if you think about it, in the future, she won’t be treated the same way as we are, Doolittle sure will give her a break, ‘cause she’s basically still a child, I don’t think she’s 21 yet…”

“But a real hottie!”, Anthony added, who seemed merely amused by Billy’s concern.

“I wanted to get to that too. She’s not a bad catch, but none of us will ever be able to make a play for her. The nerve of it, to have such a chick plonked in front of us, and her big brother is always around… But what bothers me the most, this cheeky little Miss just shows up and everything is made so easy for her.”

Cheeky little Miss, everything made easy for her. As if! She had been fighting, real hard. And she’d tell this arrogant prick, she already had a plan. Way less elaborate than her plan to borrow a plane without asking, but somehow it would sort itself out.

She no longer tried to hide and maundered unhasting closer.

“Hey ashtray kisser”, she greeted Billy with a cynical grin and slapped him on the back ‘amicably’, when he ground his cigarette butt under his heel. “It has been brought to my attention that you don’t like me.”

Red turned ashen-pale, he apparently could read the expression in her eyes and got very nervous, stuttering his protestations of innocence. Anthony seemingly didn’t have this insight into human nature.

“Pumpkin, don’t be like that. He didn’t mean it like that” he said with a smirk and reached out for her.

“Touch me and I’ll break your hand.” She was bristling with rage and her voice was not more than a low hissing. That was clear enough for Anthony to understand and he took a few involuntary steps back.

She turned back to Billy, who was suspiciously quiet now.

“So, you’re worried, I’ll be treated more gently than you? Cause I’m a woman? Nothing has been easy for me, ever. You have no idea how often I tried to enlist the normal, legal way. ‘Sorry, Ma’am, that’s not possible for women, but you can enlist as nurse or for administration.’ I don’t want to be a nurse; I want to fly. Fly and fight!”

He didn’t seem to believe her, with her last words he drew up the corner of his mouth impalpable, but it didn’t slip her attention.

“You don’t believe me?! You wanna know, how many boys I’ve bandied blows with where I come from? The school nurse saw me nearly more often than her own children! But nobody ever forgot my left hook!” She had been talking louder and louder and nearly screamed now.

Billy looked at her with arched eyebrows, but his derision couldn’t hide the respect for her, how she stood there.

“Don’t be like that, moppet, nobody wants you any harm.”

Without a warning she struck a blow, aimed and with brunt she hit the pit of his stomach. The man slumped down, but only for a moment. She had struck hard, but not with all her strength.

A little dazed, he pulled himself together, disbelieve and anger on his face. “You’ll regret that” he grumbled and threw himself at the young woman to fight his heart out.

This was the point of no return, now she had to give proof of what she’d been claiming minutes ago.

Billy had dragged her to the grown and had put her in a headlock. But this was not her first rodeo and she rammed her elbow with force into his side and bit his wrist below her chin.

The man cried out and let go of her, but immediately grabbed her braid and pulled her hard back down. Now she had to cry out. Driven by her rage and pain she bobbed up and blindly swung at him. Again, he pulled her hair and she fell again, this time on her back.

He was above her immediately and pressed her down to the floor with his knee on her chest. She drew up her knees and kicked his shoulder and neck. Dizzy, he stumbled back and finally let go of her hair.

Both visibly stricken pulled themselves together again, this time Alice got up quicker and jumped at her opponent with an angry screech. Out of her mind, she slogged the man, who had no other option than to cover his face.

Just as she was about to throw her devasting left hook, somebody grabbed her from behind and dragged her away. Taken by surprise the surprise attacker was able to defeat her and she found herself on the loose gravel again. Before she had the chance to protest, this somebody had twisted her arms behind her back and detained her with an ironlike grasp.

“What the hell are you doing?!” the man yelled behind her back and she recognized her brother. Of course, who else. She never could escape his grasp, regardless how often she tried. But Rafe had never gotten into a fight with his sister, he was above such things. Other than Danny, who had to take a beating a few times, but she also lost these fights as often as him.

Bit by bit her anger subsided and her body lost the tension. Rafe noticed that and loosened his grip, helped her back up.

Now she could see that Danny had apparently wrestled down Billy and snapped at the remaining two men for not intervening.

“It happened so quickly, suddenly they were fighting” Anthony tried to explain. “And I’ve never seen a girl fighting a guy, how do you intervene that?”

Billy had also gotten up on his feet and Allie could eye up what she’d done to him. That would make a nice shiner, she noted pleased with herself. He saw the smug look on her face and spat blood red at her feet.

That was enough for anger to surge up within her again. “You want more?!” she screamed and was poised to jump at him again. Rafe had let go of her but kept his eyes glued to her. Immediately he pulled her back and this time Red and Anthony acted and retained Billy from reacting to this provocation. Danny had put himself between the rivals.

“Allie, get your shit together, or do you want to be kicked out immediately?” he adjured her quietly. Even though Rafe was his best friend, he knew his younger sister just as well and she’d always been like an open book to him. At least she always had made clear, where you stood with her. Other girls were way more complicated.

And this time he also could tell what he had to say to make her listen. That wasn’t always easy with Rafe and her, but he was able to retain the siblings from getting into trouble one or two times. But this time, it had not been as easy as back in the days. Was it because he hadn’t seen her for a while? Or had she changed more than first presumed?

“You’re bleeding” he realized with surprise when he looked at her now completely. Blood trickled from her right eyebrow.

Carefully she felt her face hand had to learn he was right. In the literal heat of the moment, she hadn’t noticed that and one by one other parts of her body also declared they were on the receiving end of the blows. That would make some ugly bruises on her hip and back and she didn’t want to get started on her rips. That actually might be a contusion.

But Billy didn’t seem to be better off. He glanced over with clenched teeth.

“What was this about?” Rafe tried to learn the reason for the fight and looked incisively at both, his sister and Billy. But none of them made a move to answer him.

“Well, Billy talked about your sister not very nicely and she s-s-somehow must have heard that” Red tried to explain, but Rafe stopped him with the wave of his hand. He didn’t need to hear more. Allie had always been overzealous when it came to make her way, in whatever situation and in the face of whoever.

How often his father had chided him for his sister getting into trouble though he, her older brother, had been in charge to keep an eye on her. But George McCawley also knew what a tomboy his daughter was and that it was nearly impossible for his son to look after her. Still, he wanted to leave nothing undone.

“She fought for her equal rights, if I got it right” Danny gave Rafe a more accurate explanation when they were waiting for Allie to be patched up. He had talked to the younger McCawley for some time afterwards and had managed to get more details out of her.

“Billy must have spoken really lightly of her, I bet you’d beaten him for that too.” Rafe just shrug his shoulders testily. He didn’t care why Alice had gotten into that fight, it only mattered that she did, and plenty of it.

The nurse in charge was stitching up the cut on Allies eyebrow, when a soldier entered and told Billy, who also got patched up, and her to show up at Doolittle’s office immediately after this.

Even though she didn’t want to admit, now she was sorry for getting Billy into the mess he and her were in now. He surely has had good prospects and a big career as pilot, and she could have spoiled it for him with this matter. Her own career was basically inexistent and therefore indestructible. She still could start over new, maybe as nurse after all? She had some experience at hand, at least as patient.

She glanced over to the man and their eyes met. Allie couldn’t see any signs of hate or anger in his expression. That she had expected, but not the sorrow.

Shortly after that they both stood bandaged and patched with band-aid in front of the door to the Major’s office.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that about you, I don’t even know you” Billy began to speak. Allie just nodded before she regained control over her voice.

“No, I’m sorry, I should have thrown the first punch” she apologized too.

“I promise, I’ll never again speak lightly of women in the military. Peace?” He offered his hand. Without hesitation she took his hand and they shook hands on that.

“And I promise to never again hit your ass up without warning” she added. They grinned at each other broadly.

Just then the door flew open and the Major himself stood in the doorframe. He seemed to be extremely unhappy and waved them nearer. As soon as the door was closed he began to give them a well-deserved but loud lecture.

“What on earth has gotten into you? Not a whole day here and you’re causing trouble. Don’t try to exculpate yourself, Private Second Class McCawley. And I also don’t care about your version of the story, Lieutenant Thompson. I never ever again want to her a word about my protégés attacking each other!”

The culprits both nodded in silence and kept their eyes persistently to the floor. The Major continued to scold them, how this behavior was not respectable for the US Air Force and what punishments he thought were appropriate.

“But if you both promise you’ll never again get into a fight on my base, then a rebuke will do this time.” Both of them nodded again, eagerly. “So, feel rebuked and now you better scram.”

“Yes, Sir”, Billy saluted, before he took to his heels and Allie, too, expressed her consent by “Yes, Sir” while she bobbed a curtsy again and really scrammed. It was possible, that she erred, but she thought to hear Doolittle laughing.

“Wait, who did win?” Billy asked, when they had reached the pilots dorm room, Allies room was right next to it. They even shared the laundry room.

“I’d say, I won, but I bet you think, you’ve won so… draw?” she suggested.

He smiled broadly. “I think you’re really OK, Allie McCawley.”


End file.
